Method and system for cross-referencing and deduplicating objects in multiple map building blocks

• US 9,176,983 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tomtom Global Content B.V (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: TomTom Germany Gmbh & Co. Kg. (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Hiestermann, Volker, Otto, Hans-Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Wilson
• Application Number:
  US14/530,919
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3679 Retrieval, searching and output of POI information, e.g. hotels, restaurants, shops, filling stations, parking facilities G01C21/3611 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3811 Point data, e.g. Point of Interest [POI]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3841 Data obtained from two or more sources, e.g. probe vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3844 Data obtained from position sensors only, e.g. from inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2264 Multidimensional index structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A system and method for providing a digital map database wherein multiple instances of geocoded objects pertaining to points of interest (POI) and/or three-dimensional (3D) objects contained within one or more building blocks are compared to find undesirable duplicate geocoded objects. Cross-referencing information is stored and preference information about which geocoded object or object property/attribute should be used is assessed to determine priority for selection or presentation on the display screen of a navigation device or other suitable computing device. Cross-references can be pre-calculated at compile time or calculated on-the-fly by the navigation application at run time and may be persistently stored in dedicated data structures. When duplicate geocoded objects are found, only the most accurate information or a super set of (attribute) information is used by applications or presented to a user thereby preventing confusion.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for enriching the content in a digital map by integrating data in the form of building blocks from one or more sources into a digital map, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

integrating a supplemental building block containing at least one digitized geocoded object pertaining to an object in reality into a digital map stored on a computer, said digital map containing digitized information including at least one building block containing a digitized geocoded object corresponding to the same object in reality;

identifying the geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality;

assigning a priority value for each identified geocoded object;

comparing the priority values to one another;

selecting the one geocoded object from among the plurality of identified geocoded objects that has the highest priority value for use by a digital map or navigation application; and

storing, in the digital map, cross reference information identifying the identified geocoded objects and preference information identifying the selected one geocoded object.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one building block and the supplemental building block refer to a common building block, and wherein the geocoded objects that correspond to the same object in reality are contained in the same building block.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said assigning a priority value includes assessing at least one of:

a most recent date at which the digitized information for each respective geocoded object was last updated;

a richness level of attribute content for each respective geocoded object;

an existence of dynamically linked auxiliary content for each respective geocoded object; and

one or more conditions for using each respective geocoded object.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said identifying geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality includes evaluating the spatial proximity of geocoded objects relative to a road network and/or relative to each other.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said identifying geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality includes evaluating an assigned object name and/or object street address for each respective building block.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein said assigning a priority value and/or identifying geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality includes a user interaction for selecting a particular instance of a geocoded object over another.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium which stores a set of instructions which when executed performs a method for enriching the content in a digital map by integrating data in the form of building blocks from one or more sources into a digital map, the method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

integrating a supplemental building block containing at least one digitized geocoded object attribute pertaining to an attribute of an object in reality into a digital map stored on a computer, said digital map containing digitized information including at least one building block containing a digitized geocoded object attribute corresponding to the same object attribute in reality;

identifying the geocoded object attributes from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object attribute in reality;

assigning a priority value for each identified geocoded object attribute;

comparing the priority values to one another;

selecting the one geocoded object attribute from among the plurality of identified geocoded object attributes that has the highest priority value for use by a digital map or navigation application; and

storing, in the digital map, cross reference information identifying the identified geocoded object attributes and preference information identifying the selected one geocoded object attribute.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the at least one building block and the supplemental building block refer to a common building block, and wherein the geocoded object attributes that correspond to the same object in reality are contained in the same building block.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, wherein said assigning a priority value includes assessing the most recent date at which the digitized information for each respective geocoded object attribute was last updated.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, further comprising presenting at least a portion of the digital map upon a display screen of an electronic computing device, wherein the presentation includes displaying the building block content as a graphical representation of the object in reality.

11. An electronic computing device comprising:

a processor arranged to;

integrate a supplemental building block containing at least one digitized geocoded object pertaining to an object in reality into a digital map stored on a computer, said digital map containing digitized information including at least one building block containing a digitized geocoded object corresponding to the same object in reality;

identify the geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality;

assign a priority value for each identified geocoded object;

compare the priority values to one another;

select the one geocoded object from among the plurality of identified geocoded objects that has the highest priority value for use by a digital map or navigation application; and

store, in the digital map, cross reference information identifying the identified geocoded objects and preference information identifying the selected one geocoded object.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the at least one building block and the supplemental building block refer to a common building block, and wherein the geocoded objects that correspond to the same object in reality are contained in the same building block.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein said assignment of a priority value includes assessing at least one of:

a most recent date at which the digitized information for each respective geocoded object was last updated;

a richness level of attribute content for each respective geocoded object;

an existence of dynamically linked auxiliary content for each respective geocoded object; and

one or more conditions for using each respective geocoded object.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein said identifying of geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality includes evaluating the spatial proximity of geocoded objects relative to a road network and/or relative to each other.

15. The device of claim 11, wherein said identifying of geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality includes evaluating an assigned object name and/or object street address for each respective building block.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein said assignment of a priority value and/or identifying geocoded objects from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object in reality includes a user interaction for selecting a particular instance of a geocoded object over another.

17. An electronic computing device comprising:

a processor arranged to;

integrate a supplemental building block containing at least one digitized geocoded object attribute pertaining to an attribute of an object in reality into a digital map stored on a computer, said digital map containing digitized information including at least one building block containing a digitized geocoded object attribute corresponding to the same object attribute in reality;

identify the geocoded object attributes from respective building blocks that correspond to the same object attribute in reality;

assign a priority value for each identified geocoded object attribute;

compare the priority values to one another;

select the one geocoded object attribute from among the plurality of identified geocoded object attributes that has the highest priority value for use by a digital map or navigation application; and

store, in the digital map, cross reference information identifying the identified geocoded object attributes and preference information identifying the selected one geocoded object attribute.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the at least one building block and the supplemental building block refer to a common building block, and wherein the geocoded object attributes that correspond to the same object in reality are contained in the same building block.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein said assignment of a priority value includes assessing the most recent date at which the digitized information for each respective geocoded object attribute was last updated.

20. The device of claim 17 further comprising presenting at least a portion of the digital map upon a display screen of an electronic computing device, wherein the presentation includes displaying the building block content as a graphical representation of the object in reality.